Sham
by Sparkly Faerie
Summary: Xion gasped for air; the impostor’s footfalls got closer. Waiting with bated breath for the finishing blow, she felt her hood being pulled back; looking up, she saw her opponent lift the side of his blindfold, only to back away in shock. -Days Spoilers-


**Hey, guys. Whoo, it's been a few weeks since I wrote anything KH-orientated. I had a chaptered fic in the works, but unfortunately my computer crashed and I lost it all… and I really don't have the motivation to re-write it. So, I figure that's a sign to stick to short ones, yes?**

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_**-SPOILER ALERT-**_

**If you haven't gotten to where Xion fails her mission, then don't read this (unless, of course, you're like me and don't mind spoilers).**

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**So, I started Days the other day… I'm not finished, but I really took a liking to the scene where Riku calls Xion's Keyblade a sham. Basically, this oneshot is based around that. I copied the dialogue from a video I downloaded from kh-vids. net, in case you're interested.**

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**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts or anything associated with it. All rights to Kingdom Hearts and affiliated characters belong to Disney and Square Enix.

**Summary:** Xion gasped for air; the impostor's footfalls got closer. Waiting with bated breath for the finishing blow, she felt her hood being pulled back; looking up, she saw her opponent lift the side of his blindfold, only to back away in shock.

**Rating: **K+

**Genre:** Action/Drama

_**KH Quote that inspired this fic**_**: **"I don't know who you're supposed to be. But… you can't fight fire with sparks. This Keyblade, it's a sham – worthless." -Riku

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**5/11/2009 - EDIT:** I fixed a few minor spelling errors, and took out a line at the ending. I think this ends better than it did before.

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Kingdom Hearts

**(**_**-358 2 Days Spoiler Alert-**_**)**

**Sham**

Since working with Roxas for so long, Xion had always gone on missions with confidence. She was one of the Keyblade's Chosen; the legendary weapon had selected her, so there must have been _something_ special about her. Still, looking at her sheet of orders for the day, she felt a twinge of unease in her gut. Making sure to hide this from Saïx – she, Roxas and Axel sometimes joked that the Nobody could smell fear – she scanned the page. It was a simple enough mission; Xion didn't really know why she felt so strange. The world was one that she was familiar with; she'd been there many times before, on recon and heart-collections. Perhaps it was the gall of the target to imitate an Organization member; his confidence must be well-deserved if he was still alive.

_**Objective:**__ Find and eliminate the Organization Impostor.  
__**Intelligence:**__ The target has been spotted in the vicinity of the Beast's Castle. He is witnessed to be wearing a blindfold for reasons unknown; take advantage of his lack of vision and strike quickly._

Nodding to her superior as she slipped the piece of paper into a pocket, she opened a Dark Corridor to the Castle. Stepping into it, she told herself to stop being a fool and get it over and done with; Roxas and Axel would be waiting for her at the clock tower later. The sooner she was done, the sooner she could get to that ice-cream.

She emerged in the West Wing of the Castle. Figuring that whoever it was would likely be keeping out of sight, she thoroughly searched in every nook and cranny before heading to the East Wing. She was getting increasingly nervous as she searched the area, being paranoid about not only getting struck from behind by her adversary, but about the strange inhabitants of the castle; it wasn't like she could just ask them if they'd seen a stranger dressed like her, since she wanted to keep her presence a secret. Besides, what if this mysterious impostor was a friend of the servants of the place? Or, even worse, a friend of the Master? She couldn't risk tipping him off like that.

As the number of hiding places dwindled down, Xion was forced to admit that it appeared that he wasn't in the living quarters of the castle. Slipping down the stairs toward the entrance hall, she stopped in her tracks. There, crossing the hall on the way to the door, was an individual dressed in the black coat of the Organization; her target. As she watched from the shadows, he stiffened, spinning around and summoning some kind of blade in his hand – she pressed herself into the shadows, hoping against hope that he would misinterpret any shifting from her cloak as the nature of shadows. Watching him search the hall thoroughly, Xion gave a start at the shape of the weapon in his hand – it resembled a Keyblade… but, she could see as he got closer to her hiding spot, there were differences. His weapon, unlike hers, exuded a dark aura; was this one of the Denizens of the Dark that Xemnas had schooled her and Roxas in when they first joined the Organization? If so, that would explain why he gave off such a dangerous aura; but it did not explain why he was dressed as they were – in special garments to keep themselves from fading into the Darkness themselves. There was clearly something strange going on.

Eventually, he ceased his search, making a strange noise and muttering to himself. She couldn't make out the words, but it seemed to be some derogatory remark; perhaps he was admonishing himself for being paranoid? She almost grinned; if only he knew how right he was to be worried.

As he slipped out the door, Xion silently jumped over the railing, landing with a subdued 'oof' at the foot of the stairs. Hoping that he couldn't hear the muffled sound of her footfalls, she crossed after him, peeking around the courtyard before slipping out. "Damnit…" she cursed, scanning the area for signs of life, "…I lost him."

She was just about to turn around and return to the castle to inform Saïx that the man had escaped, but realised that he wouldn't tolerate her giving up like that. So, with a grim determination, she set off down the stairs, intending to reach the footbridge on the other side of the fortification. Perhaps, if she were lucky, he would still be there… or, at least, some clue as to his whereabouts. Just knowing where he went, even if she failed to eliminate him, would likely placate Saïx; he could simply send someone else – probably Axel – to eliminate him tomorrow.

It was no small shock to see her target still on the footbridge; even more startling, he was looking straight at her – at least, he seemed to be… it was hard to tell with the blindfold and the hood up. He was perched on top of one of the statues that lined the bridge, his booted feet resting flat against the perpendicular surface; his posture was completely relaxed as he tapped his knee with the fingers on one hand. "I was waiting for one of you to show up. I've been in this world for some time now." His voice was like velvet; smooth and sure. _He doesn't _sound_ dangerous…_ she caught herself thinking.

Casually, as if he didn't have a care in the world, he jumped from the statue, landing without a sound square on his feet. Thinking about her own leap earlier, Xion felt incredibly clumsy; he was so graceful. She watched him warily as he advanced; he hadn't called his weapon yet, so she felt no need to engage her own – she was perfectly capable of managing with her magic, after all, and it wasn't as if he were _really_ a member of the Organization. Of course, he may be a threat, but obviously he was nothing more than she could handle – Saïx wouldn't have given her the mission otherwise. "Who are you?" He asked pleasantly, as if they were simply two people meeting for the first time, and under pleasant circumstances at that.

Xion stepped back, gritting her teeth. "Who I am is none of your concern." She told him in a monotone. "It is who you are that is in question here. Who are _you_?"

"That's none of your business." His voice lashed at her like poison, scorn dripping off every world. Xion jumped backward; partly to put some distance between the two of them, partly to give herself room to summon her Keyblade. He may not _sound_ dangerous, she told herself, but his very being exuded Darkness; she could almost _feel_ it choking her as he got closer.

"I suppose it does not really matter." Xion tried to sound calmly competent – honestly, the guy was freaking her out. She felt like they'd met, but that was impossible; she didn't know anyone outside the Organization. _Keep on track!_ She scolded herself, slipping into her battle stance. "Since you will be annihilated right here, right now."

She could practically hear his smirk. "Is that so?" He called his own weapon and stepped into his own battle stance. "Well, then, just try it, little girl."

Xion darted forward, holding her usual battle cry in check – the man was practically blind, so giving away her position by sound was not a wise move. She crossed the space between them in the blink of an eye, slashing from left to right with her Keyblade; she almost lost her balance when, impossibly, he raised his sword up to meet it, parrying the blow. "Not good enough. Try again."

A ball of dark energy slammed into her gut, sending her flying backward. Her back struck the palace fortification, her head snapping backwards and connecting with the stones. Her vision was a mass of fantastic colour; she didn't see the follow-up blow in order to avoid it. All she knew was that there was suddenly a violent, intense pain in her arm as the blindfolded warrior twisted it, bringing them chest to chest as he held her in a secure grip. This close, she could see into the shadowy recesses of his hood; he was, indeed, wearing a blindfold. Obviously, he didn't need sight to battle efficiently. This was going to be harder than she'd thought.

As sudden as he'd pulled her to him, he thrust her away, toward the weapon she'd dropped with the initial blow. Clamouring to her feet, she snatched the weapon up and only barely managed to parry his attack; his hood slipped back as he advanced, revealing bright, moon-coloured hair fanning out behind him. As she skidded backward from the force, she attempted to form a Blizzard spell, shooting the magical projectile toward him; it was covered by a Fira spell, completely overwhelming the small magic, snuffing it out in an instant.

Xion had nowhere to go; he was closing in on her. "I should've just RTC'ed…" she muttered to herself as she readied her Keyblade in a defensive posture. The blades struck with such ferocity that sparks flew, bouncing on the stone around them. She could feel her knees buckling under the pressure of the blow alone, and the additional power put behind the effort to overwhelm her made standing almost impossible.

In the space it took for Xion to blink, he had hooked the end of his blade under her weapon, using the momentum from the effort she was using to keep it upward, and flung it high into the air. She felt the breath whoosh from her lungs as his fist drove into her gut, using the hilt of the blade to knock her in the head. She fell to her knees as her Keyblade struck the ground, standing upright where it had embedded itself into the pavement.

Unable to support her weight, Xion collapsed to the ground. She could hear a noise ahead of her, indicating that the man had yielded his weapon; this was followed by slow, measured footsteps as Xion gasped for air; the impostor's footfalls got closer. Waiting with bated breath for the finishing blow, she felt her hood being pulled back; looking up, she saw her opponent lift the side of his blindfold, only to back away in shock. The black cloth hid the teal eye once again.

"Your face…" he managed to say, seeming to stare at her through the fabric of his blindfold as Xion managed to struggle to her hands and knees, "who are you, really?" He demanded. "And why do you have a Keyblade?"

"Tell me first…" she gasped, pulling up her hood, "why you are dressed as one of us." She looked up at him, feeling incredibly humbled; she was one of the elite, and was just defeated by an _impostor_?! Saïx was going to turn her into a Dusk for sure!

At first, she thought he wasn't going to answer. As he turned away from her, walking toward her Keyblade, he uttered softly; "To make sure my best friend…" he breathed, surprising her, "sleeps in peace." He reached for the Keyblade, pulling it out of the ground. What surprised Xion most about this was that it didn't simply disappear, like it did the time that Axel tried to wield it. _Is he… one of the chosen, too?!_

"I don't know who you're supposed to be." He said, his back to her. "But…" he raised the weapon to appraise it in the light; "you can't fight fire with sparks." He turned it over. "This Keyblade, it's a sham –" he shrugged, tossing it back to her, "–worthless."

She watched as it landed with a clatter behind her. "My Keyblade is _not_ a sham!" She insisted, turning to face him from where she remained kneeling on the ground. "What gives you the right to say that?" She demanded, picking it up and rushing toward him again, ignoring her body screaming out in protest of her actions. She would _prove_ to him that it was real!

As she swung it at him, he ducked under the strike. Pivoting on his heel, he brought a fist to slam with the force of a small battering ram into the small of her back; she fell flat on her face, the Keyblade disappearing in a flash of light. He stood upright, looming over her from behind. She winced, waiting for the final blow.

But it never came. "Find a new crowd." He advised, his tone icy. "Trust me, those guys are bad news."

She managed to force her aching body back onto her hands and knees, turning to watch him walk away. "Why?" She demanded. "You're the real sham." She gasped at the pain in her ribs, caused by speaking. Likely, one or two of them were broken.

He paused, not turning back. "Fair enough." He admitted, surprising her. "You could say I am…" he muttered, "the biggest nobody of them all." And he kept walking; out the gate and disappearing into the shadows.

As she heard his footfalls get fainter and fainter, she was filled with such _strong_ feelings that she couldn't possibly contain them; rage, humiliation, hate… she simply _couldn't_ hold it all in. Clamping an arm around her stomach to guard against the pain she was feeling, she let out a gut-wrenching cry, feeling the emotions overwhelm her. She was in such pain… she wanted nothing more than to curl up and just… die; right there, right then, with her forehead against the cool of the stone pavement.

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**Sooo, I dunno… whaddaya think? I like it; it's not really as good as the video, but meh… I tried.**

…**poor Xion…**

**Anyway, thanks for reading!**

**Feedback is appreciated.**

**Sparkly Faerie**


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